American Psychiatric Association's Survey Reveals Public Perception of Safety and Addictiveness of Cannabis and Other Substances
The American Psychiatric Association released results from their annual survey on addictive substances and behaviors.
In a news release from June 8, 2023, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) discussed results from its national survey on Americans’ usage of and opinions on cigarettes, alcohol, opioids, vapes, technology, and cannabis (1). Over 2200 Americans were polled in April of 2023 by APA and Morning Consult, which is part of APA’s Healthy Minds Monthly regular polls (1).
According to one section of the results, cigarettes were viewed as a very or somewhat addictive substance/behavior by 87% of respondents, followed by alcohol (84%) and prescribed opioids (83%) (1). Comparatively, cannabis/marijuana was considered by 64% to be very or somewhat addictive (1).
Out of the 2200 respondents, 38% said cannabis was very or somewhat unsafe, and 13% said they used it daily (1). Only technology was seen a safer substance, and 67% said they used it daily (1). Cigarettes were reported by the most respondents as very or somewhat unsafe (84%) (1).
According to its website, APA was founded in 1844 and currently has more than 38,000 physician members (1).
Reference
- New APA Poll finds Americans rate cigarettes as most unsafe, addictive substance among options surveyed https://www.psychiatry.org/News-room/News-Releases/New-APA-Poll-Finds-Americans-Rate-Cigarettes-as-Mo (accessed Jun 14, 2023).
Ep 25: Cannabis Quality Differentiation Beyond Cannabinoid Content
February 28th 2025In this latest installment of Noid Knowledge we are joined by Julie Kowalski, a leading mind in analytical chemistry and cannabis testing. Julie has arranged a very compelling symposium for Pittcon entitled Cannabis Aroma: Advances and Challenges in Determining and Commercializing Cannabis Product Quality Attributes. It is taking place on Wednesday, March 5, 2025, starting at 9:30 AM in room 209. The session features top notch speakers, including several previous guests of this show, and yours truly, discussing the next generation of quality assessment in cannabis.
Ep 24, Part III: Data Transparency in Cannabis Testing with Yasha Kahn
December 26th 2024In the final part of this episode, Evan Friedmann and Yasha Kahn discuss the need for a national entity to centralize cannabis data collection, moving from snapshot data to continuous updates. They emphasize the importance of accurate lab data and adverse event tracking, suggesting QR codes on packaging to report issues. Yasha suggests harsher consequences for result manipulation and suggests collaboration between state departments and federal entities to support underfunded regulators. They also discuss the potential benefits of off-the-shelf testing and the importance of stability testing. Finally, Yasha shares his top three reading recommendations for the audience.
